5 Things I Learnt From Leading Responsibly In An Uncertain World

Last week, I had the privilege of attending, Leading Responsibly in an Uncertain World with Lord Michael Hastings, hosted by the London Interdisciplinary School.

It was great to see friends, meet new ones and very encouraging to witness a room filled with men & women from all ages and backgrounds, representing what leadership looks like in the real world.

As someone who values the rewards of health, fitness & wellbeing, there were several lessons from the discussion which gave a small insight into the accomplished life & career of Lord Hastings. 

I’ve distilled them down to 5:

Plant A Seed Everyday - Lord Hastings spoke of Jadav Payeng, the "Forest Man of India," who spent over 37 years planting trees daily on barren land. Starting as a teenager, he transformed it into an ecosystem that hosts a variety of flora & fauna. He was motivated to act after seeing snakes die on barren flooded land. The forest is now 10 times larger than Hyde Park in London.

Lesson: Small consistent acts over time compound into huge results.

Seek To Understand - Taken from the legendary 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, this approach fosters new perspectives. By being truly curious we can be transformed and more importantly, so can our environment.

Lesson: Paying attention and allowing others to talk, helps us learn something we had not previously considered.

Ask, “Who Keeps Me Honest” - As leaders, we risk inadvertently creating echo chambers that support our ideas. This creates the risk of doing the wrong things efficiently. The best leaders encourage “Radical Honesty”, coined by Ray Dalio who created this culture at Bridgewater Associates, one of the most successful hedge funds in the world.

Lesson:  When we surround ourselves with “yes” people, we may get more of what we want but we risk getting more of what we don’t want too.

The Devil Lives In Your Duvet - Taken literally, staying under the duvet is a sure way to regress. Anecdotally, the duvet represents complacency & inactivity which  occurs when meaningful purpose & mission is missing.

Lesson: Knowing what to do is important, understanding why, is fundamental to any high performing leader.

Look for Beauty in Everything - Before the talk commenced, I had the opportunity to observe the room. The diverse mix of people, the hum of voices and the vibrant energy of human connection. I also noticed the amazing art which reminds me of the part of our brain known as the Reticular Activating System, that helps to filter out what we don’t need to see, hear, smell or feel so we notice what matters for our survival, success or satisfaction. 

Lesson: We have agency to decide what gets our attention, energy and power, even in an uncertain world.

What lesson resonates with you and how can you use it in Q2 2026?

Let me know in the comments.